Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Toshihide Ohgoshi

Koichi Mihara

Eiichi Kido

Atsushi Inoue

Shigeyuki Wakada

Toshio Nishino

Hideaki Kurimoto

Yasuyuki Ishiguro

Wataru Yoshida

Hiroshi Kubota

Fumito Mizoguchi

Hiroshige Araki

Hiroshi Ishii

Masahiro Sakai

Takayuki Yamanaka

Jitsuo Masuda

Yuhi Yui

Keiji Kato

Hisashi Kunihiro

Takahiko Kimura

Masaru Tsuji

Yoshinobu Tateishi

Takeshi Wakabayashi

Takafumi Nagai

Yuhi Akagawa

Masatoshi Kaneshige

Kazuhiro Mizude

Hiroshi Tatsumi

Yoshikazu Kondoh

Yoshinori Otsuka

Satoshi Murakami

Mitsuyoshi Terada

Yasuo Imai

Yoshinori Ohtsuka

Takahiro Kawakami

Naoyuki Yamane

Keiji Katoh

Takashi Sugito

Mikie Kobayashi

Atsuyuki Kato

Hideki Gotoh

Humito Mizoguchi

There are provided a toner cartridge capable of suppressing generation of an aggregation or a lump of toner which may occur near a toner discharging port depending on toner keeping situation as well as capable of discharging a stable quantity of toner from the toner discharging port, and an image forming apparatus including the same. In a toner cartridge, a cover member is disposed so as to cover a part of an outer circumferential part of a spiral blade in an auger screw disposed inside a toner container. This cover member is able to move between a first position around the spiral blade and a second position, which is separated from the first position, on the opposite side to a toner discharging port across the spiral blade.

Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus including the same

A toner discharging device has a toner containing section, a toner discharging member, and a toner discharging section. The toner discharging section has a toner discharge port formed by opening a vertically lower part of the cylindrical wall. The toner discharging member has a rotation axis; a toner discharge plate fixed to the rotation axis at a position facing the discharge port in the vicinity of one end of the discharging section and vertically above the discharge port; an elastic helical blade being fixed, to the discharge plate and being stretchable in a direction of the rotation axis; and a helical blade section having a helical blade fixed to the rotation axis over an area in the vicinity of another end of the discharging section and an area within the containing section where the discharge plate and the elastic helical blade are not formed.

Toner discharging device, toner cartridge and image forming apparatus

A developer containerincludes (i) a developer vessel, having a cylindrical shape, that carries and discharges toner contained therein through its first discharge openingwhile the developer vesselis being driven to rotate, and (ii) a developer supply sectionwhich (a) supports the developer vesselsuch that the developer vesselcan rotate, (b) temporarily stores the toner discharged from the first discharge opening, and (c) discharges the toner outside of the developer supply sectionfrom a second discharge opening. The first discharge openingis formed in an inclined surfaceof an edge part of the developer vessel. The inclined surfaceinclines, upstream of a direction in which the toner is carried along a shaft line L, so as to be at angles with a surface perpendicular to the shaft line L

Developer container and image forming apparatus

A toner bottle includes a bottle main body for discharging toner contained therein by rotation of the bottle main body and a scraping member disposed inside the bottle main body for rubbing the inner wall surface of the bottle main bodyby rotation of the bottle main body. A shaft section for supporting a rubbing section included in the scraping member has an inclined support section extending with a predetermined angle inclined in a direction deviating from a direction in which an axis of rotation of the bottle main body extends.

Toner bottle having a rubbing member and image forming apparatus including same

A toner supply container according to this invention includes a toner containing portion, a support member and a container holding member. The toner containing portion is a cylindrical container having a magnet at an outer periphery thereof and configured to discharge fluid contained therein. The support member supports the toner containing portion for rotation. The container holding member has a counterpart magnet at a position opposed to the former magnet and is configured to hold the toner containing portion supported by the support member.

Fluid container device and image forming apparatus

A toner bottle for containing toner has a cylindrical body and a scraper. The bottle body can be rotated on its axis by a driving source. The scraper is supported movably in the bottle body. The bottle body has an opening and ribs. The toner in the toner bottle is supplied through the opening to a developing unit. When the bottle body rotates, the ribs convey the toner toward the opening. The scraper includes a shaft and a scraping part. The shaft extends over the whole length of the bottle body and supports the scraping part. A portion of the scraping part is in contact with the inner cylindrical surface of the bottle body. When the bottle body rotates, the scraper moves perpendicularly to the axis of the body.

Toner bottle and apparatus for image formation

A toner replenishing apparatus is provided. The toner replenishing apparatus includes a toner replenishing container for replenishing toner stored therein to a developing section by a rotation of the container itself, a toner scraping member provided to be movable without being fixed in the toner replenishing container and to rub against an inner wall surface of the container, including a plurality of magnetic bodies arranged in a predetermined direction and a support section that extends in an arranging direction of the magnetic bodies and supports an one end portion of each of the magnetic bodies, and a magnet for attracting the magnetic bodies with a magnetic force, disposed along an outer peripheral surface of the toner replenishing container.

Toner replenishing apparatus and image forming apparatus

A toner replenishing apparatus capable of, without increasing a drive torque for rotating the toner replenishing container, scraping toner adhered in a toner replenishing container to reduce the quantity of residual toner that remains unfed from the toner replenishing container, is provided. The toner replenishing apparatus includes a toner replenishing container for replenishing toner stored therein to a developing section by rotation of the toner replenishing container, a magnetic body movably provided in the toner replenishing container, and a magnet disposed closely to an outer peripheral surface of the toner replenishing container and attracting the magnetic body with a magnetic force.

A developing device includes a developing vessel for storing a developer, a first conveying passage, a second conveying passage, a first conveying member, a second conveying member and a developing roller for supplying toner to a photoreceptor drum. The first conveying member has a first rotary shaft and a first conveying blade formed on the periphery of the first rotary shaft. The first conveying blade has a large-diametric ring-shaped helical blade and a small-diametric helical blade, forming a double-helical structure. Alternatively, the first conveying blade is formed of helical blades being different in phase; each helical blade is formed so that the radius varies on a cycle of the rotational angle of 180 degrees.

Developing device and image forming apparatus using the same

A developing unit including: a first agitating and conveying rotor and second agitating and conveying rotor for agitating and conveying toner inside a casing; and a developing roller for supplying the toner to a photoreceptor drum is constructed such that the first agitating and conveying rotor has a rotary shaft arranged approximately parallel to the developing roller and a multiple number of agitating vanes arranged on the rotary shaft with an inclination to the axial direction of the rotary shaft; each agitating element is formed asymmetrically about a normal that passes through the rotational center and adjacent agitating elements are asymmetrical to each other; and an odd number of asymmetrical agitating elements are arranged alternately.

Developing unit

A toner bottle stores toner in a cylindrical section having an inner circumferential surface provided with a plurality of protruding portions raised inward the cylindrical section. When the cylindrical section is driven to rotate on its central axis, the toner is discharged from the cylindrical section via an outlet. When cross-sections perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical section are projected from a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical section, the cylindrical section has an inner circumference provided with one or more regions where the protruding portions are not projected. This prevents the toner from making contact with the protruding portions. Therefore, the toner can be conveyed while suppressing the generation of frictional heat by reducing the resistance between the toner and the protruding portions.

Developer container, developer supply device, and image forming apparatus

A developing device is provided, in which respective lateral ends (the portions overlapped with the side seals) of the front seal boardare adhered/fixed to the side seals. More specifically, the gap between the both sides Aand the return edge Aof the opening section A of the toner tankand the developing roller is sealed by a single plane composed of the side sealsand the front seal boardthat are combined with each other. On this account, there is no gap between the side sealand the front seal boarddue to vibration caused by external force, time degradation etc. (i.e., it prevents the side sealsto be away from the front seal board). On this account, toner leakage can be securely prevented even when the developing device is driven for a long period of time or when some kind of vibration is applied to the development device.

Developing device and printing device

The process frame body has the guide portion, and the development device has the to-be-guided shaft. When the process frame body is unattached to the apparatus main body, the guide portion of the development device is absent, thus preventing proper attachment and positioning of the development device. The convex engagement portion is formed integrally with the development device so as to jut into the attachment path for the process frame body. This prevents attachment of the process frame body when the development device is attached first. If users try to attach the process frame body after attachment of the development device, the convex engagement portion interferes with the process frame body, thus preventing attachment of the process frame body.

Image forming apparatus with arrangement for controlling assembly order

A detection mechanism is provided with a sealing member made of elastic material for preventing toner leakage between (a) a pierced wall surface of a toner tank through which a rotating shaft is inserted and (b) a second side plate provided on the rotating shaft. With this structure, a flat splicing surface of the sealing member is made to closely contact a second side plate that can be coated with a high lubricant member whose frictional forces is small. When a sealing force of the sealing member is strongly compressed, the sealing member prevents toner from coming into the sliding surface.

Developer detection device and printer

A toner cartridge stored in a developer casing includes a biasing force generating device, an actuating rod that switches the biasing device between an active state and a non-active state by one movement of a release member. A developer casing swings by the movement of the actuating rod and presses a developing roller with appropriate pressure to a photosensitive drum. There is a lock member that is restrained from moving by the movement of the actuating rod. The structure recited is capable of inserting and fixing the developer casing to an image forming device. Also, by one restore movement of the release member, the photosensitive drum and the developing roller are separated and the lock is released, thereby enabling removal/exchange of the developer casing.

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Nara, Japan

Toshihide Ohgoshi